The proposed project will examine two major aspects of the regulatory biochemical functions of glucocorticoids in the nervous system, with a special focus on noradrenergic and serotonergic neurons in the brain. One aspect is concerned with the biochemical role of these steroid hormones in the regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase during postnatal development. Another aspect is concerned with the mechanism of a direct interaction of the hormones with synaptic terminals: binding sites for glucocorticoids on synaptic membrane, the membrane-bound adenylate cyclase, calcium transport, and transport of neurotransmitter precursors. The project will also seek basic information on the development and regulation of neuronal cytosol glucocorticoid receptors. The overall aim of the project is to understand the regulatory actions of the hormones in the brain. Since glucocorticoids are intimately linked to environmental "stress", a better identification of the action of these hormones on the brain may contribute to the understanding of brain-environmental interaction and thereby stress-related mental illnesses.